For a lot of people in the field on Saturday, Iotunn were the reason to arrive early. The Danish band's progressive death metal — soaring clean vocals over heavy, patient riff architecture — was one of the best-sounding sets of the entire weekend at Hellsinki Metal Festival 2026. Straight after the show, Metal Madness Weekly recorded an exclusive backstage interview with the band's drummer.
Translating Long Songs to a Festival Stage
Iotunn write in arcs rather than verses, which raises an obvious practical problem at a festival: how do you fit music built on slow builds into a short slot? The interview opens there — set construction, tempo, and how the drums hold together songs that change character several times before they end.
Writing the Latest Material
The conversation moves to the writing process: how ideas arrive, how much is arranged collectively versus brought in finished, and how the band balances heaviness with the melodic, almost widescreen quality that has drawn so much attention to them.
The European Circuit
Iotunn's rise on the European festival circuit has been quick, and the drummer is frank about what that pace actually feels like from behind the kit — the logistics, the travel, the difference between a home show and a foreign field full of people hearing you for the first time.
Watch the full video interview in the player above, or listen to the same conversation as a Metal Madness Weekly podcast episode.
